A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a floor panel, as well as a floor panel and a set of floor panels for forming such floor covering, as well as to a method for packaging such floor panels and methods for manufacturing them.
More particularly, the invention is intended for use with floor panels with a layered structure, which are manufactured of a larger plate having such layered structure, however, certain aspects of the invention can also be applied more generally, in other words, with floor panels having another structure.
By floor panels with a layered structure, in the first place traditional laminated panels are meant, which, as is known, comprise at least one core layer and a top layer, whereby the core layer, for example, consists of MDF, HDF, particle board, so-called compact laminate or the like, whereas the top layer, for example, consists of different sheets of material pressed on top of each other, such as layers or paper soaked in resin, amongst which a printed decorative layer. Floor panels with another layered structure, however, are not excluded, for example, whereby the top layer consists of cork, veneer, a relatively thick layer of wood, and so on, or whereby the floor panels are provided with special intermediate layers, such as a sound-damping layer or such.
B. State of the Art
Traditionally, such floor panels are made of boards having a width in the order of magnitude of 20 cm and a length of approximately 120 cm. Such known floor panels have the disadvantage that in installed condition, a plate-like appearance will prevail which appears unnatural, particularly if the intention is to represent a parquetry pattern with oblong laths, or when if the intention is to imitate a “plank floor.”
In order to obtain a more irregular and natural appearance, it is known to make use of oblong floor panels of two different widths, whereby then, for example, alternately one row of wide floor panels and one row of narrow floor panels are laid. As, when installing the floor covering, however, in many cases one will always start with a complete or half a panel per row, still a certain regularity will pertain in the formed pattern, as a consequence of which the appearance still remains rather unnatural.
It is also known for special applications to insert a number of shorter floor panels in between longer ones, whereby in fact it is not intended to remedy the unnatural appearance, but to create special effects, such as, for example, tile-shaped insertions in a floor covering with a parquetry pattern.